A couple of months ago, my husband and I went to the Smoking Goat and found it closed. Starving, we decided to try Sipz (locations in Clairemont and North Park; sipz.com) a vegetarian eatery nearby. We were wowed and have returned twice since. Almost all items are gluten-free, and if one isn’t, you can usually get a substitute. Some of my favorite dishes include: fresh fuzion rollz, seaweed salad, wok-fried drunken rice noodles, and Thai curry. Also in North Park, Wang’s (3029 University Ave. 619) 619-291-7500 or wangsnorthpark.com) has a special gluten-free menu with sensational kung pao and coconut curry chicken. — Susan Russo, food writer, cookbook author (Twitter @Susan_Russo)

I don’t have Celiac disease, so I am not one to search for GF products. It does concern me however how prevalent it is becoming: much of the population remains undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. Gluten-free sales reached more than $2.6 billion by the end of 2010 and are now expected to exceed more than $5 billion by 2015. (Source: Packaged Facts, 2011.) Bottom line: If your menu isn’t embracing GF foods you are already losing... Waters Fine Foods (downtown, Solana Beach and Bay Park locations; waterscatering.com) features many GF foods, and does a great job at it! — Andrew Spurgin, consulting chef and event architect, andrewspurgin.com

Fortunately for all those who suffer from the detrimental effects of gluten there are more and more options that compliment a gluten-free lifestyle. The most impressive is the separate gluten-free menu at The Mission (East Village, Mission Beach and North Park locations; themissionsd.com/glutenfree.html), which offers two dozen gluten-free options for the diner. One of my favorite Mission gluten-free options is the plata verde con huevos, with corn tamales and scrambled eggs all covered in a flavorful tomatillo sauce. — David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner

I’ve got to say that I run into more and more people with gluten issues. As a chef and a bit of a nutritionist, it is something that I am very interested in, so are my customers. When I need to prepare food for people who have Celiac disease or gluten issues, I shop at Sprouts, Jimbo’s or Whole Foods, they all have an extensive line of gluten-free products. Guess what? There is even a website you can go to: glutenfreeinsd.com. — Fabrice Poigin, private chef, restaurant consultant

Alchemy Restaurant’s quinoa hush puppies are now being served in our local Whole Foods’ prepared foods sections! You know we had gluten free trends in my neighborhood growing up. It was called being poor! — Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant

Having been Celiac as a child (allergic to gluten) and outgrown it, I have traumatic flashbacks to Roger Schactel’s sixth birthday party. I ate bananas and cottage cheese while all the other first graders got their chocolate birthday-cake buzz on. Why do people want to make a replica of the thing that makes them sick... sans the offending ingredient? Do we really need a Madame Tussauds’ wax replica of the actual food made with processed blah-blah? Want gluten-free? Party down with some vegetables; throw some dairy on some berries; put your ‘eat’ on some meat. Like my tramp-stamp reads: “Keep it real. Eschew the pretenders” (not really). — Charles Kaufman, baker, owner of Bread & Cie Café (Twitter @BreadAndCie)